New Delhi:
Gurgaon got a little closer to north and central Delhi on Friday with the opening of the Central Secretariat-Qutub Minar Metro corridor cutting the travel time between Connaught Place to the satellite city to just 50 minutes.
The 12.53-km fully underground corridor that passes through some of the densely-populated areas of south Delhi, which have been deprived of the Metro comfort till now, was integrated with the already operational Qutub Minar-HUDA City Centre line.
Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy inaugurated the corridor and flagged off the first train from the Udyog Bhawan station in the presence of Delhi Chief Sheila Dikshit and DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan.
Ultimately, the Central Secretariat-HUDA City Centre line got integrated with the existing Jehangirpuri-Central Secretariat corridor, thus making it the longest line of the Delhi Metro spanning 45 kms and covering north, central and south Delhi with the Millennium City of Gurgaon.
The entire 45 km distance will be covered in just 80 minutes, a DMRC spokesman said, adding that this will allow people to save a lot of time and money.
Dikshit thanked DMRC chief E Sreedharan for his meticulous planning and execution of the Metro projects in the national capital.
"With the opening of this line, passengers can travel from right here to Gurgaon in a single train," she said. Jaipal Reddy said, "With this opening DMRC has achieved one more milestone in its triumphant march".
The opening of the line today means a lot for passengers as they will be able to reach Gurgaon from Connaught Place, the city's shopping hub, in just 50 minutes, as compared to a minimum of 90 minutes by road. The fare between the two stations is Rs 25.
The line will also allow commuters in north and central Delhi to travel to South Delhi and Gurgaon and vice-versa. The maximum fare on the line is Rs 29 from Jehangirpuri-HUDA City Centre. The entire journey from Jehangirpuri to Gurgaon will be covered in 80 minutes. With the corridor expected to attract thousands of more people, the DMRC will run 36 to 40 trains at a frequency of 5-6 minutes everyday.
This was the first time that the Metro passed through localities in south Delhi like INA Market, AIIMS, Green Park, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Saket. There will be 34 stations on this corridor out of which 20 of the stations are underground while 14 are elevated, a DMRC spokesman said.